Journalists are often under deadline pressure, which is why, says Crikey’s Emily Watkins, they return again and again to the same experts. Those who give good quotes are often also pretty good at making themselves available. The end result is it looks like there’s only one counter-terrorism expert in town, or one constitutional lawyer, or one demographer.

But in every field there is more than one expert, and not all of them are camera or radio shy. In the last 12 months at The Conversation we published 1,800 new writers, all experts in their given field. Most go on to do radio interviews and sometimes TV spots. Some even become the go-to expert in their field.

So for journalists and readers looking for a little more diversity and depth, here are some alternatives to Crikey’s list of speed-dial experts.

Constitutional law

The expert most journos go to: Anne Twomey

Alternatives: Gabrielle Appleby, UNSW; Brendan Gogarty, UTAS

The citizenship crisis meant 2017 was a good year for constitutional lawyers. But of the dozens of articles Professor Anne Twomey has written for The Conversation, the one on whether Queensland Premier Campbell Newman could still be premier if he lost his seat remains the most poplar, proving it’s not just federal law Twomey is good at explaining.

There are also plenty of others with deep expertise in constitutional law.

Dr Brendan Gogarty is also a constitutional law expert, and he’s particularly good on technology law and international law. One of his most popular pieces for The Conversation this year, was this one on how technology has left the law behind in the case of drones and backyard skinny dippers.

Demography

The expert most journos go to: Bernard Salt

Alternative: Liz Allen, ANU

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We love your work Bernard, but we still haven’t forgiven you for that smashed avocado trope.

And before the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, Senior Lecturer Catherine Strong got us all thinking with this discussion of Chuck Berry and why iconic musicians, particularly after death, have their abuse of women ignored or excused.

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Government budget analysis

The expert most journos go to: Chris Richardson

Alternative: Richard Holden, UNSW

Trust us, if other economists spent as much time in the Canberra press gallery as Chris Richardson they’d be on telly a lot more too.

One economist who can also think on his feet is Professor Richard Holden, who joins The Conversation in the budget lockup each year and writes our weekly economics wrap, Vital Signs.

He’s also not afraid to talk housing bubble (and our banks’ exposure to mortgage risk) – given it’s the topic on the lips of most Australians thinking about their fortunes in the year ahead.

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Adolescent psychology

The expert most journos go to:: Michael Carr-Gregg

Alternatives: Jo Robinson, University of Melbourne; Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University

Michael Carr-Gregg has written several books on parenting, so it’s understandable he’s a hot commodity on breakfast television.

One alternative is Dr Jo Robinson, Senior Research Fellow at Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Robinson is doing interesting research on the role of the internet in suicide prevention.

And if you’re interested in that perennial parenting issue of how much technology is too much for kids, Joanne Orlando can help.

This list is just a small sample, and you can find thousands of other experts by searching for the subject you’re interested in via The Conversation’s search bar, or in our research and expert database. Many of them also provide their contact details on our site, but if you can’t find them, get in touch with editors@theconversation.com.au or call 0423 156 062.